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Remember going to the Heart of England Soul Club All Dayers at Blackpool Mecca with Northern in the Highland Room and Jazz Funk in the Main Hall. Acts included Light of the World and Players Association. Hawaiian shirts were very popular among the jazz funkateers. Attended one on a cold winter day with a mass snowball fight outside between the two tribes. Happy days. Popular sounds at the time.....

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Thanks all for the responses so far - really interesting and some great tunes - keep them coming plus any stories about clubs, DJ's, fashions, etc

Given the numbers that were into it at the time, and the affection a lot of folk clearly still have for it, it's surprising there hasn't been some kind of revival, whereas of course now you can't move for northern nights

I'm caught in the middle really - some a bit insipid for me, like something you'd hear on the airport bus lol, however some I absolutely love - Ronnie Laws 'Always There', Bobby Lyle' Genie', Rahni Harris 'Six Million Steps', Atmosfear 'Motivation', Miroslav Vitous 'NYC', etc - mostly the brassy uptempo stuff rather than the laid back grooves which don't stand up so well now IMO

Also a big fan of Greg Wilson - love his 'Credit to the Edit' CD's. See link below to an excellent piece from GW's website about Legend(s) in Manchester as mentioned earlier by Steve:-

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Thanks all for the responses so far - really interesting and some great tunes - keep them coming plus any stories about clubs, DJ's, fashions, etc

Given the numbers that were into it at the time, and the affection a lot of folk clearly still have for it, it's surprising there hasn't been some kind of revival, whereas of course now you can't move for northern nights

I'm caught in the middle really - some a bit insipid for me, like something you'd hear on the airport bus lol, however some I absolutely love - Ronnie Laws 'Always There', Bobby Lyle' Genie', Rahni Harris 'Six Million Steps', Atmosfear 'Motivation', Miroslav Vitous 'NYC', etc - mostly the brassy uptempo stuff rather than the laid back grooves which don't stand up so well now IMO

Also a big fan of Greg Wilson - love his 'Credit to the Edit' CD's. See link below to an excellent piece from GW's website about Legend(s) in Manchester as mentioned earlier by Steve:-

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I used to go to The Rio in Didcot, Purley and Brighton all dayers, Didos at the California in Dunstable. In the early day's we would wear mohair jumpers, peg trouser's and winkle picker's I think Hawiian shirt's were popular too. Some of my favourite track's were Delirium - Francine McGee, Shame - Evelyn Champaigne King, Just can't give you up - Mystic Merlyn, Roy Ayres - Running Away and Idris Muhammed - Could heaven ever be like this.

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Moved to Peterborough from Oldham in 77 used to go to the Lime Tree pub on a Sunday night, dj Steve Allen, my first experience of the jazz funk scene. Steve later opened an excellent record shop in the city called Discoasis. All dayers at the Fleet, and the Cresset in Bretton. Travelled to Notts Palais dayers and the legendary Purley Tiffanys with the soul mafia djs, Chris Hill, Robbie Vincent et al. Attended the first Caister weekender, unforgettable. Remember the build up from Chris Hill and first playing in the uk of EW&F and Emotions Boogie Wonderland. Awesome. Anyone remember the 'tribes' from around the country? Never forget the Rushden Cavemen who used to attend in Stone Age attire.

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Moved to Peterborough from Oldham in 77 used to go to the Lime Tree pub on a Sunday night, dj Steve Allen, my first experience of the jazz funk scene. Steve later opened an excellent record shop in the city called Discoasis. All dayers at the Fleet, and the Cresset in Bretton. Travelled to Notts Palais dayers and the legendary Purley Tiffanys with the soul mafia djs, Chris Hill, Robbie Vincent et al. Attended the first Caister weekender, unforgettable. Remember the build up from Chris Hill and first playing in the uk of EW&F and Emotions Boogie Wonderland. Awesome. Anyone remember the 'tribes' from around the country? Never forget the Rushden Cavemen who used to attend in Stone Age attire.

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Good 30 min documentary here which pretty much sums up what I remember. SHORT shorts, tribes, pyramids, great times. Interesting comments during the interviews which could just as easily apply to the Northern scene.

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Thanks all for the responses so far - really interesting and some great tunes - keep them coming plus any stories about clubs, DJ's, fashions, etc

Given the numbers that were into it at the time, and the affection a lot of folk clearly still have for it, it's surprising there hasn't been some kind of revival, whereas of course now you can't move for northern nights

I'm caught in the middle really - some a bit insipid for me, like something you'd hear on the airport bus lol, however some I absolutely love - Ronnie Laws 'Always There', Bobby Lyle' Genie', Rahni Harris 'Six Million Steps', Atmosfear 'Motivation', Miroslav Vitous 'NYC', etc - mostly the brassy uptempo stuff rather than the laid back grooves which don't stand up so well now IMO

Also a big fan of Greg Wilson - love his 'Credit to the Edit' CD's. See link below to an excellent piece from GW's website about Legend(s) in Manchester as mentioned earlier by Steve:-

Where I live in Kent you don't have go far for a Caister revival night, some of which are equivalent to shit northern oldies nights. Loads of old gits and gals packing the dancefloor to Funkin' For Jamaica and We've Got The Funk regardless of how many thousands of times they've heard it.

Most of the great, lesser played stuff posted on this thread wouldn't get a look in.

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Great thread. I cut my teeth in Essex discos before moving to London '76 where I spent Friday lunchtime at Crackers Wardour St. London. DJ George Power still on the scene. Tunes heard that era but can't remember exact years. Just a faces here.,Linda Clifford Runaway girl, Gypsy woman,Crusaders Street life, Roy Ayers Running away, Boz Scaggs Lowdown, John Miles Slowdown, Cameo Its serious, Bob James Heads,El Coco Let's get together, Evelyn champagne King Shame John Handy Hard work, Benny Golston New killer Joe , War lowrider Galaxy,Natalie Cole This will be, Ashford & Simpson Seems to hang on, Brick Dazz, Dusic, Benson On Broadway, top two Wilbert Longmire Black is Colour (actually the 4 track 12" is a a total winner, but for me Ingram Mi Sabrina is absolute class. Remember Robbie Vincent Saturday lunchtime Radio London, and Greg Edwards Saturday early evening Capital radio, also I think Thursday Dave Simmons. There were also many pirates pre Kiss.I then went north to the Casino, and then a whole new experience began. The southern DJ's were about partying, Northern soul was more about collecting and the music IMO. Great times indeed and many of these are today still remembered with affection.

To me jazz funk is part of the overall Soul scene. Just a different form of soul music and possibly the bridge between disco & modern soul. Too many long 12" instrumentals for me - prefer the wham/bam of an uptempo soul (or disco) 7" anyday!

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Where I live in Kent you don't have go far for a Caister revival night, some of which are equivalent to shit northern oldies nights. Loads of old gits and gals packing the dancefloor to Funkin' For Jamaica and We've Got The Funk regardless of how many thousands of times they've heard it.

Most of the great, lesser played stuff posted on this thread wouldn't get a look in.

17 minutes ago, Stubbsy said:

Somebody mentioned a Jazz Funk revival. It's never really gone away and there's an abundance of soul/jazz funk nights in my area (Essex), but they all play the same records!

I suppose I was thinking about the North West / Midlands scene - other than the occasional Colin Curtis Rafters type revival there doesn't seem to be much interest in the North, where clearly back in the day there was

To me jazz funk is part of the overall Soul scene. Just a different form of soul music and possibly the bridge between disco & modern soul. Too many long 12" instrumentals for me - prefer the wham/bam of an uptempo soul (or disco) 7" anyday!